Apparatus for delivering mail to moving cars.



. R.- W. LOMAX.

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAIL TO MOVING CARS. APPLICATION FILED 0GT.13,1910.

978,91 1 Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor Witnesses Attorneys R. W. LOMAX. A1PARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAILTO MOVING CARS.

APPLICATION FILED OOT.13. 1910.

Patented Bea-20, 1910.

3 SHBETSBHEBT 2.

57% ,Zdmz;

Witnesses Inventor Attorneys R. W. LOMAX. APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAiLTO MOVING CARS;

APPLICATION FILED 0011.13, 1910.

Patented Dec. 20-,

m 9 H 1. H J B T E E H no 3 Inventor Attorneys Witnesses scribed andclaimed, it being understood ROGER W. LOMAX, OF LYNCHIBURG, VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING MAIL TO MOVING CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

Application filed October 13, 1910. Serial No. 586,952.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROGER W. L0MAx,a citizen of the United States,residing at Lynchburg, in the county of Campbell and State of Virginia,have invented anew and useful A paratus for Delivering Mailfto Moving(gars, (Case 13,) of which the fol lowing is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for delivering mail to moving carsand has z for its object the provision of a throwing arm mountedforswinging movementadjacent. the track and which has actuating meanslocated in the path of a trip carried by the car body so that, as thecar,passes thepointg. of delivery, the throwing arm will be actuatedthereby and will direct the bag or pouch into the. structure elementwhich is movably mounted on thi car structure so as to be projected fromeither side thereof.

A further object is to provide meansjor, actuating the throwing arm,said means being shiftable so as to be engagedand operatedby a carmoving in either direction.

A still further object, is to provide atripping device under the controloffthe car door so that, when the door is opened, the tripping devicewill be projectedinto, position to actuate the throwing mechanism.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the com-- bination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdethat changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosedcan be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings:Figure 1 is a view partly in section and partly inelevation showing the delivering mechanism and the tripping device foractuating the same. Fig. 2 is a view partly in plan and partly insection of a portion of a car and showing the door controlled means forprojecting the tripping device. Fig. dis a view proper open ng the ear-A further ob ect is to provide a trippm partly in side elevation andpartly insection of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4r is a view similarto Fig. 2 and showing means whereby the tripping device may be projectedby means of a crank or the like. Fig. 5 is adetail view of a crank orkey which may..be.used in connection with the structure shown in Fig.2.. c

Referring to the figures by characters of reference l ,,designates ahollow standard havinggaplatform 2 at the upper end thereoffto whicha'ladder 8 or the like may lead. Thisstandard is arranged upon a hollowbox-like. cas ng 4 and an extension 5 1s located at one end of thiscasing and near the track. Athrowing arm 6 is movably mounted within thestandard 1 and is pivotedat its lower endas indicated at 7, the upperend of extends from the lower end portion of the arm 6 ,andcarries anadjustable weight 10. Another arm 11 extends from the lower portion ofarm 6and has a reduced end portion 12 extended toward the track andprojecting intoa'bearing plate 13 which is secured to extension .12 bymeans of a set screw 14 or thelike." This bearing plate is locatedwithin the extension 5 and is constantly contacted by rollers.l6,journaledin the ends of oppositely extended arms 17 Each of thesearms is secured to a rock shaft 18 journaled within thecasingfl. Thelower section 19 of an actuating arm 20 is loosely mounted upon theshaft 18 and has the upper section 21 hingedly connected to it andnormally held in alinement; therewith by means of a spring catch 22"orthe-like. An opening 23 is formed within the inner or lower section 19and an arcuate member 24 is loosely mounted within this opening andpivotally connected at one end to the adjacent arm 17, as shown at 25,while its other end has a weight 26 adjustably mounted upon it. A setscrew 27 extends into the opening 23 and bears on the member 24: so asto hold the said member against movement within the section 19 and thussecure said section 19 to the arm 17 and compel them to move together.The outer or upper section 21 of the actuating device is off-setlaterally as indicated at 28 and works within an arcuate slot 29 formedwithin the hollow extension 5. The upper end of the 'fid t ts'hapedlbagjor pouch holder. 8. An arm 9 section 21 has a wear plate2-30 or the like fastened to it and this upper and normally projectsinto the path of a tripping device to be hereinafter described. It is tobe under stood of course that two of these actmning members 20 areprovided, one of them being connected to each of the arms 17. The. twomembers 20 however are oppositely disposed so that they can swing upontheir hinges toward opposite ends respectively of the extension 5 inorder to lower the upper section 21.

The tripping mechanism utilized for actuthe parts hereinbeforedescribed, is 10- upon the car body A. This car body is formed withthe'usual door openin B and a door C may be hingedly connected to one ofthe jambs of the door and adapted to 3 swing inwardly when it is desiredto open it.

A rack bar 31 is extendedtransversely under the-floor of the carstructure- A and" adapted to move 10 itudinally, this bar be ingprovided, at ea -bh end, witha'trunnion" 32 on which is arranged aroller 33. A gear 34 is journaled under the floor of the car and mesheswith the rack bar' and also with'an; other 'gear 35.- An 'angularstei'r'i" 36' extends upwardly from the center of gear 35 and throughthe car flooiand is adapted to be engaged bya socket 3lformedin oneendof a crank 38. This crank"is=connected, as by means of an ear'39,'to aslide40 mounted within a guideway 41 formed on the inner face of thedoor C. This arrangement er;

gears 34 and 35 is duplicated at each side of: the car butonly one crankmember is util-' ized, the crank being detachable from one gear andadapted to be placed in engagement with the other gear 35 and also beingdetachable from the guideway 41 and insertible into engagement with theother door C. It will be apparent therefore that the parts can beadjusted so as to be operated by the opening of the door at either side.

When it is desired to throw a pouch or bag into the car, it is placedwithin theholde'r' 8 and the section 21 nearest the approaching car isswung upwardly asshown at the left of Fig. 3 while the other section 21is swung downwardly as shown in said figure.' Weight 10, of course,holds the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1. The person upon themail car approaching the station opens the door C at that side of thecar to which the bag or pouch is to be delivered. This in ward swingingof the door will cause the slide to move longitudinally of the guideway41 and the crank 38 will therefore be rotated to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 2. Gear 35 will therefore be correspondinglyrotated and motion will. be transmitted therefrom through the gear 3+ tothe rack bar 31.. be projected beyond the side of the car and intoposition where it will move against the One of the trunnions 32 will acushioning device'42- located in the upper portion of the standard 1.The bag or other object within the holder 8 will thus be projected intothe -"door openin' 'B which, at this time,'is' directly opposite 'theho'lder 8.

It is tobe understood, that, ifpreferred, the=rack bar may be projeetedindependently meshing with the rack bar asshown in Fig. 4. This gear hasan a'nguliiit fiieckffi -proe j ecting through the near oi-tithe c'arand which is adapted'tobe engagedb'ythe crank. If preferred, andasshownj in Figs. '1- and 3,- a' supplemental dopeay be arranged withintheear aawbaek of the door B. This sup'plenie tal door consists ofcrossed pivotally con lazy-tongs, the side mental gatef beingboiliiected to hangers 46 which are pivotallyt'suspended from-'11 crossrod 47 adjustably mounted on arms"48=extending 'from'one side totheother of the car. It-will be apparenttlia'tthis supplemental door canbe readily collapsed or can be moved inwardly toward the center of'thecar or swung upwardly close to the roof.

What is claimed is;

lz'The combination with a throwingarm' nent movably mounted, and meansfol-holding it normally in a predetermined position, of a car-supportedtripping element, an actuating device projecting into the path of saidtripping element, and means mounted for angu a1 adjustment relativethereto and movable therewith for shifting the "throw-' ing elementtoward the ear.

3. The combination with a throwing element, of a car-supported trippingdevice, operating irears projecting into the path of said device, andmeans movable with and adjustably connected to said operating means andnormally engaging the throwing element for shifting the throwing elementin the direction of the car when the operating means is actuated.

4. A throwing element, a bearing member movab e therewith, an actuatingdevice mounted for swinging movement, means ntovahle therewith andmounted for angucted met aljst-rips 45 forming a;

pen-ion of the supplelar adjustment relative thereto for den'essing' thebearing member, means for holding the actuating device normally in apredetermined position, and a car-supported tripping device movableagainst the actuating device.

5. Apparatus of the class described 111- cluding a throwing element, abearing device movable therewith, an upwardly extending actuating memberincluding movably connected sections, an arm adjustably connected tosaid member, and a car-supported tripping device movable against themember to shift the arm and depress the bearing device.

6. Apparatus of the class described including a throwing element, abearing device movable there-with, an actuating member consisting ofhingedly connected sections, means for securing said sections againstrelative movement, an arm movably connected to one of the sections andover hanging the bearing device, means for adjustably connecting the armto the actuating member, and a car-supported tripping device movableagainst the upper section of said actuating member to operate the armand depress the bearing device.

7. Apparatus of the class described including a throwing element, meansfor shifting the same, a car-supported tripping device, and ,means uponthe car for shifting said device beyond either side of the car mountedon said structure, a tripping device carried by the rack, and means uponthe structure for shifting the rack to bring the I tripping device intoposition to engage and shift the actuating member.

9. Apparatus of the class described including a throwing arm, anactuating member operatively connected thereto, a car structure, a doorupon said structure, a tripping device, and means operated by themovement of the door in one direction for projecting the tripping devicebeyond the car structure.

10. Apparatus of the class described including throwing mechanism, a carstructure, a tripping device upon said structure for actuating thethrowing mechanism, a door upon the structure, and means operated by thedoor for shifting the tripping device into operative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROGER W. LOMAX.

Witnesses:

HUBERT D. LAwsoN, EDWARD S. LOMAX.

